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We are the soul of a newspaper. Not just any newspaper. We are the soul of the Toronto Sun from back in the day when it was the tabloid everyone in Toronto talked about. We are the people who helped make it happen. Sadly, most of us are long gone from the Sun. Many are now deceased. But when we were all a part of the Sun, as it was, it was a vibrant, kick ass paper that captured the impossible dream.

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

TSF readers have posted volumes about the importance of
"community" in community newspapers over the years.

Rob Lamberti, who recently took a buyout after 27 years with
the Toronto Sun, will be teaching a course on community journalism at
Humber College this winter.

Rob writes:

"I was reading some of the comments since the most
recent layoffs and a few messages about community journalism struck me.

"I am teaching a course on community journalism this
winter at Humber and I was wondering if it would be possible to start a response
section on your blog asking what community journalism means to the blog's
users and readers and if the company is meeting the needs of the communities
it purports to serve.

"I would then like to use those responses, whether
anonymous or not, as a gauge and guide of what responsible journalism is at the
community level, how it is defined in small communities and what the communities expect from the news outlet that serves them.

"And of course, satisfaction. Do they feel the
community is satisfied with the efforts of the journalists, the staff that supports the
journalism (including advertising) and the company as a whole?"

21 comments:

As a former employee of Sun Media, I've always had a strong appreciation of the journalists and the work they put in. I'm not a journalist though, but I've always held a great deal of interest in it. I do believe that they were never truly appreciated as employees of Sun Media.

The reason why I feel this way is because I never felt appreciated as an employee of Sun Media. Our previous owners did a lot more and certainly showed their appreciation. The managers under Sun Media never showed any appreciation toward us in our department. The morale was low among us prior to the layoffs. They often made announcements about how they will show their appreciation toward their employees, but they never stayed true to their words.

Basically, they are all talk and no action, unless of course, they cut you loose.

Now, regarding the importance of community newspapers, it's a way of staying in touch with the locals, and creating connections between all of us. The most important section of a community newspaper has always been the local news. If they wanted to read stories about stories in Ontario, or any other provinces or on a national scale, they'll buy a national newspaper.

Now, the fact that they are now finally starting to implement a paywall system into the big newspapers like the Toronto Sun and other newspapers, this is somewhat discouraging. The reason why I said that is because I know I wouldn't pay for my local newspaper since they have a skeleton crew working there, and I know that the money I pay will not go to them at all. The community newspapers here are no longer truly community newspapers because many, many jobs have been shipped overseas and many managers did not grow up here, nor are well-connected to the people here. They are incredibly out of touch with the people.

It's heartbreaking that the Dunnville Chronicle, without warning was shut down as of Tuesday. They already have shut down a few free weeklies, and now they are shutting down some local newspapers because they are too small and not bringing in tons of money. Many people who work at newspapers have families. It's bad enough that the economy is tanking in Niagara and now more and more jobs are being slashed across the board even though they aren't losing money here.

What they should have done is give the newspapers back to the communities instead of shutting them down for good. It would had done much better without media giants meddling and micro-managing everything.

Here's some facts, by the end of World War II, at least 80% of the newspapers were independently owned and operated, today, it's more than likely that it's less than 1%. The majority of media in the world are owned by no more than 6 corporations, which would be Time Warner, CBS, Viacom, Disney, GE/Comcast, News Corporation. At least 90% of what we read are controlled by the 6 corporations mentioned.

This means everything we read, see and hear are basically influenced by the corporations, and we are not seeing the objective journalism in the newspapers like we used to.

We're living in a digital age, and it can be much better than it is now, except it isn't.

Does Sun Media believe in community newspapers? THey just closed up shop on 100-plus publications like the Dunnville Chronicle and West NIagara news (formerly the Grimsby Independent, Lincoln Post Express & West Lincoln Review).Very classy.

The thing that is most demoralizing about Quebecor's activities is the cynicism and greed involved. True, small-town dailies and community weeklies don't turn the profit of big-city papers (when those urban dailies DO show a profit). However, in small communities, there is no Craigslist to siphon off classifieds, no TV or radio station to steal display advertising, and no serious competition online or in print. And, unlike the big-city dailies, most small dailies and community newspapers never made the blunder of giving away the store online. They may not be the goldmines Peladeau wishes they were, but they are almost always profitable, and they have a definite future. That's why Glacier Media and Black Press are doing well, and did well through the recession, and why those are the papers that Warren Buffett is buying. As Buffett said, they're a good investment because they're a necessity to the communities they serve.

Now the paywall is in effect. It's already affecting the local newspaper websites as far I am concerned. Honestly, the Toronto Sun stories shouldn't be made top stories on local websites on a frequent basis, and I'm already tired of seeing that "Toronto Sun" link in order to read the whole article, which you must pay to read after viewing 20+ articles. I'm now realizing how many articles on my local newspaper's website are Toronto Sun articles, and how few articles are written by our local journalists. Yikes.

they have closed down 100 newspapers?/ where, all in ontario? i have only heard of about ten so far.. alot of papers in alberta have alot less circulation and more employees, and they are shutting down larger papers in ontario, i dont get it? maybe they are going to shut down all of their papers eventually? and maybe they are just shutting down now the papers that have competing papers in the same town?/ im just wondering how they decide what to cut and what papers to close?

Honestly, I feel like ever since Quebecor took over the newspapers, they have turned all of the newspapers into a public forum for the racists and the bigots to vent against the visible minorities and more. It's disgusting.

With the changes that were in the London Free Press today - January 7, 2013 - I am disgusted and have called and cancelled my home delivery. The content is not what I "signed up for" and do not intend on giving them anymore money.

The Brant News is full of former Expositor employees. Bet PKP didn't plan on so much success from the competitor. If true Metroland is the winner in this fight. More papers closing? Still not at 500 yet.

Metroland has the better formula. Stay weekly, stay local, don't waste your time with "wire" news of dubious quality. The hardware store, supermarket and jewelry shop will always need a print vehicle to advertise in, and the optional-pay/wide-circulation subscription model ensures high readership numbers. That's why Sun Media has changed the Expositor satellite Paris Star to a freebie. But is it too late? Time will tell.

Would anonymous at 10:15 on January 18 care to elaborate on 'more cuts in Niagara coming soon'? Was it just a general feeling because of the crossword/comics/tv listings debacle or is there a specific rumour someone would care to share?

The Toronto Sun Family: 1971 - 2018

Current and former Sun Media employees, this blog is for you. We'd like to hear your feelings about the Sun, pro or con, your experiences and if no longer with Sun Media, what you are doing today. There is no "I" in Toronto Sun Family. Just "we."